Climate change is erasing Black Cemeteries in the South. Here’s what you need to know
In parts of Oaklawn Memorial Cemetery, one of Mobile’s known Black burial sites, you can see glimpses of gray and moss-covered graves poking out of the long grass or behind fallen tree limbs. In other places, the barely visible dirt paths lead to beautifully cared-for plots with graves adorned in bright-colored flowers under the kind of dreamy and languid trees you might only find in the South.
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Flooding can shift gravestones and the heavy vaults below. Prolonged rain can cause large branches and trees to fall on the graves. Hurricanes, regular visitors to the Gulf of Mexico, can bring weather so destructive that it could wipe out an entire family’s history in a moment, just like what happened in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
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Today, Black cemeteries hold a long and complex history, standing as a monument to Black heroes while also serving as a reminder of those who endured and overcame slavery, segregation and discrimination.
But as climate change brings increasingly unpredictable weather, Black cemeteries, in particular, are under serious threat.
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The African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act was signed into law in December. The act establishes a program at the National Park Service to provide competitive grants and technical assistance to research, identify, survey, and preserve African American cemeteries.